Head of 80-year-old man found after crocodile attack in Sarawak

The head of an elderly man bathing in a Malaysian river was found late on Sep. 10.

According to Malaysian National News Agency Bernama, the man, Tuah Lamat, was believed to have been killed by a crocodile on the evening of Sep. 9.

The victim, 80, was reportedly killed by a crocodile while bathing in a river in Kampung Siang-Siang Laut, Terusan, Lawas.

Lawas is a town in the state of Sarawak, Malaysia.

Head found in the early morning

A spokesperson for the Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department’s Operations Centre said villagers found the head about 500 metres from the spot where the victim was last seen.

The spokesperson added that upon receiving a call about the discovery at 11:20pm on Sep. 10, a team from the Lawas Fire and Rescue Station was deployed to the victim's location, about 22km away.

The team was led by the station's operations commander, PBKI Awang Adani Damit, and senior operations commander, PPgB Clarence D. Primus Tiandun.

"At 12:45am, family members confirmed the object as the victim’s head, which was then handed over to the police," said the spokesperson.

The search and rescue operation resumed on the morning of Sep. 11.

Went missing while bathing

The victim had reportedly gone missing while bathing at a small bridge near his home at 5:30pm on Sep. 9.

Villagers failed to find him despite launching a search along the river using boats.

They then contacted the Fire and Rescue Department for assistance.

Crocodile attacks in Malaysia

According to a paper on scientific database ResearchGate, crocodiles have killed a relatively high number of local people in Sarawak.

The paper analysed crocodile attacks over two decades from 2000 to 2020.

It found that 86.6 per cent of common victims in Sarawak were male.

The findings also noted that the peak time for crocodile attacks was from 6pm to just before midnight.

On top of that, fishing and bathing in the river were found to be activities that put victims at the highest risk of crocodile attacks. The paper stated that this suggests crocodiles are more likely to attack when the victim is in the water.

Top photo via Canva